Who Rules the Earth in a nutshell In Who Rules the Earth?: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives, Paul F. Steinberg emphasizes the idea of social rules and how social rules are everywhere. Social rules and regulations are in fact a part of every aspect of our lives even if we may not notice them at […]
Individual Posts
Who Rules the Earth and Analyzing my Actions as an Individual
Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth is about about the importance of institutional and governmental action in creating social rules across the globe. He discusses governmental actions at all levels, and despite the fact that governmental control can in some cases be bad, it is essential, especially at federal or central levels. One aspect that Steinberg […]
The Light of Action at the End of an Uncertain Tunnel
Who Rules the Earth has been a nice way to end out the semester. While many of the books we have read have been quite productive, most focus on how mismanaged environmental action is, the faults in common perceptions and schools of thought about the environment, and the disagreement sown throughout discussions dealing with environmental […]
We Rule the Earth
Before reading Paul Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth? How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives I was a strong advocate for individual level action against climate change. I had a complete lack of faith in the system (anything above my local community/government), which stemmed from the fact that I had an apparent lack of understanding […]
Bridging the Local and the Global
Introduction It is difficult to say that Who Rules the Earth? has one central argument; the book is more accurately described as having a general mission to provide a precise and useful account of social rules. Steinberg documents these social rules in the context of a serious attempt to explain the entirety of environmentalism on […]
Individual or Institutional: How to Make a Difference
Different themes emerge and make themselves prominent as I continue to read Paul F. Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth?. He covers a vast array of subjects, drawing inspiration from diverse topics, from the migration patterns of the cerulean warbler to the specifics of the emergence of cap and trade from the sulfur dioxide market, and […]
Why I Agree
Paul F. Steinberg’s main argument in Who Rules the Earth?, is that within the social rules that guide us, institutions are the main source of power that will make an impact on our environment as a whole. The idea of institutions contradicts the major current environmental thinking that is emphasized today. This thinking emphasizes that […]
Karma for the Conquerors
An Analysis of Who Rules The Earth The author Paul Steinberg introduces Who Rules the Earth to the reader by discussing who bears the responsibility for confronting global warming. From the perspective of social science the reader is given a greater grasp of how individuals feel alone in tackling the overwhelming concept of global temperatures […]
Who Really Rules the Earth?
The main theme within Paul Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives is the difference of impact in relation to incremental individual change compared to change on an institutional level. He encourages individual day-to-day tasks however even though he believes they are good things, he doesn’t believe that individual […]
We Can All Rule the Earth If We are Big Enough
Who Rules the Earth? How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives by Paul F. Steinberg has without a doubt been my favorite book covered in ENVS 160. Partially because of his style and vibrant examples of the material he covers, but mostly because of the take home message he presents, closing the book […]
Who Runs the World? Rules?
In Who Rules the Earth? Paul Steinberg causes us to examine how social rules shape both our individual lives and the state of our planet. As of late, much of the discussion that takes place with relation to environmentalism, often revolves around questions of sustainability, efficiency and economics. We, as citizens and individuals are beaten […]
Who Rules the Earth? Institutions Do.
The main argument underlying the text Why We Disagree About Climate Change by Paul Steinberg is that change at the institutional level is the most effective. He claims that the best way to make real change is through changing the social rules that govern society, and he discusses a variety of ways in which to […]
Changing Mantras to Solidify Change
Social rules are all around us, sometimes they are prominent and in the face of society and sometimes they play behind the scene not noticed by many. In Paul Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives, spotlight is brought on understanding the effects that social rules play in […]
The World Revolves Around Social Rules
Paul F. Steinberg’s main argument in Who Rules the Earth? (2015) identifies social rules as the most effective and logical mechanism of change. He defines these social rules as “understood and followed” regulations that “shape interactions among people,” (Steinberg 2015, 26-27). These regulations define the roles, rights, and responsibilities of individuals, corporations, nations, etc. (Steinberg 2015, […]
Who Says Follow the Rules?
Paul Steinberg’s, “Who Rules the Earth,” discusses the rules that both consciously and subconsciously govern and impact our lives. He also asks what the best ways to implement meaningful and lasting change are and how they can be successful for the future. He begins his book by telling the story of how one woman changed […]
Game Changer
“What does it take to bring about social change to protect the environment?” (Steinberg 2015, 13). Prior to this class, I would have been eager to raise my hand and regurgitate everything that I have been taught thus far – reduce, reuse, recycle on an individual scale in order to bring about lasting change for […]
Social Rules: A Walk on the Beach
Throughout my reading of Who Rules the Earth?, my thoughts and ideas about how environmental and social change happens have been challenged. Before reading the book, I was a main believer in the power of individual-level change, believing that if we all recycled all that we could and put our food scraps in the compost […]
Let’s Talk Institutions
By Natalie Casson It’s incredibly challenging to try to place yourself in a globally scaled issue. Finding where you fit into a deeply rooted complex issue can at times make it seem like there is no good way to approach or tackle the issue. Climate change is universal and anthropogenic, and yet we individually […]
Rules That can’t be Black and White or Written Linearly
Any Psychologist would argue that humans are creatures of habit; we develop routines, standardize operating procedures, and follow patterns, generally exemplified as going to sleep at the same time every night, followed by waking up the next morning at an equidistant time to the last morning. Paul Steinberg argues on behalf of humans habitual tendencies. […]
Rules make the world go round
Who Rules the Earth? poses many important questions about what is the best way to approach environmental problems such as loss of biodiversity. Paul Steinburg examines specific examples to show which methods work well and which have had problems. Throughout his book his main underlining argument in all the chapters is that institutional action in […]
Connecting Research and Action
The final text for ENVS 160 is a satisfying read about how environmental policy can actually be implemented. After learning about all mechanisms and products of environmental thought, it is an exciting trip to incorporate these thoughts into implementation. Who Rules the Earth?, by Paul F. Steinberg makes two main points. Firstly social rules, constructs, […]
Understanding the True Source of Change
Rules Rule The argument for biking, reusable grocery bags, and priuses that often fills conversations of what can be done to stop climate change is rooted in the idea that individual actions are the key to controlling our earth. Paul Steinberg, however, exposes and discredits this notion in his work, Who Rules the Earth? How […]
Questioning Childhood Values
Throughout reading Who Rules the Earth by Paul Steinberg I felt that I was constantly questioning all of the values that I have always held strongly regarding what to do about the changing climate. Growing up in an upper middle class politically conscious and fairly liberal minded community people were definitely concerned about the state […]
A Mosaic of Rules
Paul Sternberg’s book Who Rules the World addresses how to confront climate change by taking a step back and focusing on social rules. This piece of writing appeals strongly to the sociological mindset of comprehending social institutions and the role they play in creating lasting change. Sternberg’s reason for writing this book is to share […]
Is There One Power to Rule Them All? Why Institutions Do the Most For Environmental Action
When I first looked at Who Rules the Earth, I was pretty skeptical about it based on just the title. I mean, the idea of looking at all the different rulers of all the land in the world and deciding which one of those has the most power over everyone else seemed ridiculous to me. […]